Put your house in order - Organization in the kitchen

Mise en place

– meaning everything’s in its place. This basic pillar of professional restaurant kitchens provides the foundation for the entire workflow, and it starts at the organization of the ingredients and tools. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be a master chef to put this into practice. One of the basic conditions of efficient cooking is that you always know when, where and why you reach for something. This doesn’t take too much effort, but sometimes it can pose a challenge to design a system that is both comfortable and transparent. Here are a few ideas that can help you:

From top to bottom

Everyone knows kitchens have depth, but you shouldn’t forget about their height, either! Vertical systems are great in every single way. The basic concept is that as you move from the heavy towards the light objects, you move from the bottom towards the top. You can use your lower drawers or shelves to store pots and heavier equipments, and you don’t need to be a strongman even if you needed your largest pan. On the higher shelves you can keep your lighter things (herbs, spices) in sealed, secure vials. It’s much easier to find anything you may need if you have everything in plain sight!

Escape the grime

It’s a simple, yet effective trick to line the bottom of your drawers and shelves with parchment paper. This way the steam and grease won’t ruin your beautiful kitchen by precipitating on your storage containers, instead it will stay on the paper, turning cleaning up into child’s play: you just wipe the container, change the paper, and you’re done! Another easy solution is to pour all your spillable ingredients into airtight plastic or glass jars before putting them away, consequently saving yourself the constant trouble of having to clean sugar or flour off your selves.

Categorize and label

Categorize your ingredients in the kitchen or the pantry! Assign separate shelves in your cupboard for pasta, dried spices and canned goods. Put the freshest ones in the back and use the older ones first to avoid food spoilage. You will always know what to find where, and what you are running out of. It’s also useful to label your food. Do you remember when you found that ice cream box in your parents’ freezer, only to realize it was full of leftover stew? You can mark the containers with a marker pen or a post-it note to make sure that no one closes the fridge disappointed.

Box in a box

Every household has That Indispensable Bag that holds all other plastic bags. You can never have too many bags. The same goes for storage boxes. It’s best to buy several containers in different shapes and sizes, so you have one for every occasion. It’s important to choose a durable, quality product since this is a one-time investment that you will use for years. Most of these boxes are dishwasher safe, so it’s fairly easy to keep them clean. If you buy them in packs, you can even store them fitted inside each other, freeing up even more space in your kitchen.

All in all, when it comes to your kitchen try to aim for a transparent, functional organization. Find a system that’s logical and clear for you, and voilà, cooking will cease to be a boring household chore and it will turn into a dance: tight, spectacular, without any unnecessary movements.

If you’re renovating your kitchen and need some inspiration, come to the Kitchen Exhibition! At the fair you’ll be able to find everything from the current design trends among the displayed brands, so you won’t have to choose between functionality and tasteful presentation